Trapped in Wonderland
by The Lady Osipria
Summary: Alice is unable to get back through the looking glass at the end and is trapped. Luckily Hatter is more than happy to put up with her some more and offers her a place to stay. All is not smooth sailing though as a new threat rises from the ashes of the battle.
1. Chapter 1

Alice sat down heavily on the seat that a suit had procured for her. The looking glass was not working. It had stayed open for an hour but she hadn't been quick enough to get through. Jack's words rang in her ears: it could take weeks, months or even years to get the looking glass working again. She was stuck here. What would her mom think? She would just disappear and her mother would be all alone.

Jack saw her sitting there looking lost and approached.

"Alice during your stay here, however long that is, I swear you will not want for anything. We will have a place arranged for you immediately." He smiled kindly but she was not paying attention to him. She was watching the man across the room who was watching their exchange sadly and Alice could swear she saw jealousy lurking in his eyes. Soon her eyes snapped away from Hatter to focus on Jack.

"Thank you Jack but no. I think I can find my way myself." With this said she made her way over to the man who was speaking quietly to Charlie. They hadn't noticed her yet and were speaking in hushed tones.

"Harbinger, why don't you go and do something?" Charlie questioned and Hatter sighed angrily.

"Because, Charlie, she doesn't need me. She has Jack now. That's all she's wanted." Alice decided she needed to make her presence known now before anything too awkward was said. She cleared her throat causing the two to jump and turn to her, looking innocent.

"Alice! Uh, we were just talking about you and um actually never mind that," Hatter rambled planting a smile on his face.

"So you all set to be Queen or what?" he asked with an awkward laugh but she could hear the sad undertones. She shook her head lightly.

"Um no actually." The smile dropped from Hatter's face then and he actually looked angry.

"Really? After all you did to save him and all of Wonderland and he didn't even have the decency to offer you the throne? Unbelievable!" Hatter ranted angrily, all the while glaring at the back of Jack's head.

"Hatter, calm down!" she ordered and he stopped and watched her in interest.

"He did ask me but I turned him down," she finished looking up at him from under her eyelashes.

He looked at her in shock and Alice couldn't decide if he was happy or not.

"What?" he answered finally, seeming unable to think straight. Alice watched as he opened and closed his mouth a few times, obviously trying to think of what to say. She decided she would explain her choice, well what she was willing to divulge anyway.

"I just….you know I thought I'd take you up on your offer," She started shyly and he frowned.

"My offer?" he asked and he seemed deep in thought, trying to remember what he'd offered her when Alice decided she'd have to remind him.

"Remember? You said if I couldn't get back, you'd make sure I was okay." His face lit up in recognition and something else she didn't quite understand. There was a moment of silence when they both thought back to the situation and they remembered the kiss that had almost taken place. He cleared his throat.

"Uh, right well, you know I kind of thought you'd prefer to stay in a palace where it's warm and comfy. I mean surely even though you turned down Jack, he offered to give you a place to stay." Alice sighed. Maybe he didn't want her after all. She knew she would be safe enough staying where Jack offered but she had come to rely solely on the man before her in the time she was here and she didn't want to be without him so soon.

"He did but I just thought….you know what it's cool. It's okay, you obviously don't want me around and I don't want to cause any problems." She began to turn around when a hand on her arm stopped her.

"No, it's just I want you to be in the best place while you're stuck here." She turned back to him with a smile and he released her arm quickly.

"The best place for me is with you. You're the only one in all of Wonderland that I trust." As she said this she swore she saw him tear up but he smiled still and she hugged him. It felt good to finally hug him with no more worries or cares about life and death situations. Alice heard an annoyed huff soon though and she turned to Charlie questioningly.

"Humph, how can one not trust me? I am the most trustworthy of all the trustworthy people there ever were or will be!" Alice laughed and placed a hand on the knight's arm.

"Hatter is the only one I trust apart from you Charlie." The knight straightened into a gentlemanly posture at the compliment and bowed in thanks. As she turned back to Hatter she noticed he had been watching her attentively the whole time and she asked.

"What?" He smiled brushing some of her hair from her face.

"Nothing, you just look happy." She smiled brightly.

"Well I am." He took her hand and led her from the place.

Walking into Wonderland's streets once more felt like stepping into a battlefield after a war. It was all quiet and it looked terrible. They stepped briskly through the rubble and Alice found that the heights didn't bother her so much anymore. It was probably mostly due to the man at her side.

"Where are we going?" Alice asked as they walked. He turned to her briefly before continuing walking.

"Back to my place; The Tea Shop. Hopefully, if I'm right, it should be empty." Alice pursed her lips but followed along quietly. She was not in any hurry to return to where everything started.

They soon reached the Tea Shop. It was deadly quiet and it looked empty. They walked up to the doors and Alice made to go in but Hatter held her back. She looked at him in question.

"Alice, there is still a plentiful supply of tea in there and most Wonderlanders aren't going to be immediately happy about the new changes. We have to be careful and most of all we have to make sure no one finds you. If anyone finds out there's an oyster still around there'll be mayhem!" Hatter explained. Alice nodded in understanding and they both slowly walked inside, with Hatter in front.

Thankfully Hatter had been right; the place was empty. They walked through the entrance and into the main shop area which had been ransacked. There was smashed glass everywhere and Alice was thankful she had her boots on. Hatter didn't seem fazed by the shambles that remained of the shop though and he confidently led the way through to where she had first met him.

Now that she wasn't entirely focused on finding Jack, she took a proper look around. She didn't really take much notice before but the ground was entirely made of grass. The grass at the entrance was slightly dead looking but as you went further in the grass looked very healthy and luxurious.

"Can I ask why all the grass? I didn't really notice before but it's just in my world we don't normally have grass on the inside," Alice asked as she followed him.

He gave a frown and then he answered.

"Well it's some of the only grass left in Wonderland. I had the tea shop built around this area so I could keep it. I keep forgetting all of this is strange to you. You just fit in so well here I sometimes forget you're an oyster."

Alice sighed in slight annoyance.

"Can we drop the whole oyster thing now? It's not really relevant anymore is it?"

"That's fair enough. What do they call you in your world?" he asked in interest and she frowned before realizing what he meant.

"Oh, we're called humans." She watched as he furrowed his brow and shook his head as if that was the strangest thing he had heard in his life.

"Well we're lucky. The suits didn't trash it as bad as I'd thought so we should be safe here. To be sure though, I'll seal off this place from the shop so no one can get in. We still don't know how the people will react to the news and if things turn out badly, then we may have rioting on our hands," he explained as he pressed a few buttons on the wall. She heard a loud bang and she jumped.

"Don't worry that's just the locking mechanism. I haven't had to do this for a while, not since the last Alice was here," he said closing up the panel on the wall before heading to the closet, putting the coat she had borrowed back. Alice blanched at what he said. He had said when they first met that the other Alice had come here over a hundred and fifty years ago. She decided not to ask about it yet. She was too tired for any new information. But it made her think, how did time work here? How long was she gone in her world?

"Come on, let's go to the main house and I'll show you where you can sleep." She followed after him as he made his way through a door she hadn't noticed until now. The atmosphere was different through here. It looked like a comfy cozy home you would see in storybooks. The white color scheme was gone, now replaced by browns and reddish tones, which reminded Alice fondly of home. He opened a door then and they both stepped in.

"Here we are. This can be your room. There's a bathroom through there and there's a bookshelf in the corner if you get bored." Alice smiled at the room. It was beautiful. The walls were reddish brown and the carpet was non-existent, in place once again was lush, beautiful grass. Alice stared at the bed longingly. She hadn't noticed how tired she was with all the running and fighting but now she was able to relax all she wanted was sleep. He seemed to notice this so he cleared his throat before making to leave the room.

"What're you going to do?" she asked curiously. He smiled at her.

"Well as much as I'd like to get some sleep, there's heaps of stuff I've got to do. Namely get in touch with the King and find out what's going on. I'll also look into arranging some clothes for you 'cause as great as that dress is, I'm pretty sure it's not half comfortable anymore." She nodded in agreement, laughing softly and returning his smile. He nodded at her before again turning to leave.

Once she was alone she practically pounced on the bed. She laid her head on the soft pillow and soon she was out like a light.

A/N: Hope you liked this! This is my absolute favorite version of Alice in Wonderland (with the exception of American Mcgee's) and I think it deserve more recognition than it has. And love Andrew Lee Potts as Hatter! Such a likable character! Please review :)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to moura1371, ticktockcroc, fairepeacock for their kind reviews! Here's the next chapter :)

Alice woke feeling better than she had in a while. She stretched out her limbs and blinked her eyes open, momentarily forgetting where she was. The memories came rushing back soon and she had to stifle a sob. It had just sunken in that her father was gone. Before there had been the promise of possibly finding him again but now she knew there was no way to see him again. He was dead. Swallowing down her sorrow, she pulled herself from the bed with reluctance; it was very comfy and warm. She wondered briefly how long she'd been asleep. She opened the door slowly and made her way into the hallway. Walking further along she came to a room which looked to be a kitchen. There was a note sitting on the counter and she picked it up:

'Alice,

You won't recognize any of the food in the cupboards but give it a go, I promise it's good. Anyway once you've had something to eat come back through to the main room out front. There are some people here who have some things to discuss with you.

Hatter.'

Putting the note down she decided to inspect the cupboards. After taking little bites of certain things she made herself something considerable to eat and soon she was making her way along the corridor in the direction of the white room. She pressed a button on the wall and the door opened. The occupants of the room turned to look at her.

"Ah Alice there you are!" Jack said with a fond smile.

"Come sit down there's much we need to discuss." She obediently sat in one of the white chairs. She looked around and studied the other people in the room. There was Hatter who gave her a smile and a wink from his chair, there was Owl who was sitting skittishly in a chair, holding a large bag and there was Jack who had by now placed his crown upon his head.

"Well all of us have worked through the night accessing the situation outside and the like. We have all deduced that it is in your best interest that you do not leave this place without an escort at all times. There has been talk of some rogue Wonderlanders who believe they have their own ways of extracting tea and if they see an oyster, who knows what they'll do." Alice nodded quickly. She had no problem with that. It wasn't like she knew anywhere else she could go. Jack continued after a nervous breath,

"The main reason I'm here is because I wanted to tell you in person. We have found the reason why the looking glass is not working. The ring has been tampered with. It has been chipped with a blunt object. We cannot say for sure who did it but the point is Alice, unless we figure out a way to fix it then we believe the looking glass may never open again. I am so sorry Alice, I know you miss your mother."

Alice had to hold back her tears. Forever trapped here. It was a painful thought. She would never see her mother again or any part of her world. She gave a strained smile.

"It's okay Jack, and it's not your fault." He sighed and stood bidding her goodbye. After he left the other woman in the room relaxed immensely. She smiled weakly at Alice.

"I just wanted to say I'm awfully sorry about what happened when we met and when Hatter said you needed some help I jumped at the chance," she handed the bag to Alice.

"Most of the refugees when they were taken away or decided to make it off on their own left behind tons of their belongings, mainly clothes so you should make some use of them." Alice smiled hesitantly and the strange woman practically scurried from the place. Alice blinked and shook her head. Hatter finally spoke to her now.

"So how'd you sleep?" She smiled and moved into the chair next to his instead of sitting across the room from him.

"Really great actually. The best sleep I've had in a long time." He nodded in understanding.

"That's because the bed is soaked in sleep tonic. I had to use it for a long time after the Queen took reign. It's just too hard to sleep when you're too busy worrying about everything." At her strange look he added.

"Don't worry the stuff's not dangerous or like the tea the Queen made. It's been around way before that even started."

She scrutinized him for a few minutes before something clicked in her mind.

"That's your bed!" she cried and he nodded innocently.

"I can't take your bed. Where are you going to sleep?"

"There's a spare room," he argued back with an eye roll.

"Why didn't you just give me that one?" she asked having calmed down. He huffed uncomfortably.

"I told you Alice, I want you to be comfortable while you're here. I'd be no sort of host if I gave you less than the best. Besides I haven't needed to sleep in it for a while so it's going to waste anyway." As he finished he grinned and she held her glare for a while before she couldn't resist smiling back. She decided to drop it. It was his home so he could choose where she slept even though she didn't think it was fair. She studied him, biting her lip slightly contemplating whether to ask him what she wanted to know.

"What is it?" She jumped not realizing that she had been openly staring with a glazed look for a few minutes longer than appropriate.

"I just noticed that you said that you were around when the 'Alice of Legend' was and I remember you saying it was a hundred and fifty years ago. I'm more than a little confused." He sighed as if he had anticipated this and took a breath before answering.

"Right, well the thing about that is Alice, time works differently here. I can't say exactly how old I am because I've lost track but I'd say close to three hundred." Her eyes must have widened to the size of saucers because he was watching her with a concerned look on his face. A look of realization crossed his face and he hastily explained.

"Alice my physical age still does count. At the moment by your world's standards I probably look around twenty five or something. That still counts. It just takes longer for me to get to thirty. I still have the mindset of the age I look; I just have more knowledge because of more time to learn it."

Alice seemed to grapple with this for a while and Hatter said nothing giving her time to think. That sure was a pretty big age gap. Then a thought occurred to her.

"What does that mean for me? I mean if I'm most likely going to be stuck here forever then how will that affect me?" she asked finally. Hatter seemed thoughtful for a moment and then he shrugged.

"I dunno. There's never been an oyster around long enough to find out." She nodded accepting that and she put her head in her hands.

"God, my mom must be so worried. I've been gone for about a week." Hatter let out a hesitant chuckle and her face snapped up to look at him.

"Well as I said in Wonderland time works differently here but it also is the same for your world. By your world's standard's you've probably been gone now for about three hours." Her face was in shock and then she began to hysterically cry. Hatter's eyes widened in alarm, wondering what he had done and he tried to think of what to say. He wasn't really good with crying girls.

"Alice I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you or anything…" She stopped herself crying, wiping her eyes before answering.

"No, I'm okay. I think I just need to go get some more sleep." She stood and slowly walked from the room back to the inner house. Hatter sighed and after a few minutes he followed. He didn't know what to do to make her feel better.

A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! More will come soon :) Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

When Alice awoke she felt terrible. The sleep tonic did not rid her of the horrible emotions she was feeling. She did not want to be trapped here. She had nothing but bad memories of this place. Well that wasn't entirely true, she corrected thinking about Hatter. She pulled herself from the bed and made her way to the bathroom. She hadn't had a shower since she had come through the looking glass. She groaned audibly in pleasure at the feel of the water pouring over her. She had felt disgusting and grimy before because of all the time spent in the forest and her joints were painful and tense but the water washed it all away. Stepping out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around herself before walking back into the room. She picked up the bag Owl had given her and tipped the contents onto the bed. It was not a good situation.

She tried on some of the underwear before accepting that she would have to wear them even though they were loose. She was extremely uncomfortable in the selection of bras that were in the bag. The cup sizes were all wrong but she found one that wasn't too tight. She turned her attention to the dresses. That was all that was there; dresses. Owl had obviously thought it was her preference to wear dresses as addled as she was. Most of them were brightly colored or were sundresses with flamboyant patterns. They didn't suit her mood at all. She was not happy. She couldn't sit comfortably in a yellow dress while feeling terrible. She soon found a black dress, which was perfect for her horrid mood and she pulled it on. It was a little tight but it didn't look out of place on her.

Returning the rest of the clothes back into the bag, she faced the mirror. It was the first time since she went through the looking glass that she had seen her reflection and it was a drastic difference. She looked tired and miserable. Her eyes had bags and they weren't as sparkly as they were. She sighed and combed her hands through her soaking hair. Smiling pitifully into the mirror she decided to go find Hatter.

She made her way up into where the kitchen was and looked around. No sign of him there. She kept walking and she was surprised to find how big the place was. She soon found herself in a room that was like a living room. There was a fireplace burning brightly and there were two armchairs and a sofa. The fire was so calming that she couldn't help but sit in one of the armchairs. She sighed in comfort and she noticed a bookshelf in the corner. In interest she stood and examined it. Her eyes passed over many titles she did not recognize but then her eyes hit one that she knew all too well.

'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' the title called out brightly. She smiled softly and grabbed it. She settled on the sofa this time and opened it. She hadn't read it since she was a kid and it would be a good way to relax and forget for a while.

When Hatter came into the living room he couldn't help but smile. Alice was sitting there reading the book that fictionalized his world with a small content smile on her face. It was the first time he had seen her relaxed since he had met her. Even though she looked rested he could see the lingering sadness that existed in her face. The loss of her father had taken a pretty big toll on her and he would just have to do his best to make her feel better. Hatter was beginning to dread the day when the looking glass worked again and she would have to leave. He wanted her to stay.

Soon Alice noticed she was being watched and she glanced up with a smile.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. It was strange reading it after meeting most of the prominent characters." He nodded smiling gently before coming to join her on the sofa. She placed the book to the side before turning to him.

"How're you feeling now? I know it's been a pretty hectic time for you and now everything's calmed down, it's probably all sinking in?" he asked, clearly offering for her to talk about it. She nodded and sighed.

"Yeah, you could say that. It's just I've spent most of my adult life searching for my father and now he's gone; for real. It's only really sinking in now and it's a strange feeling. I'm full of sadness because he's gone but at the same time, there's a type of satisfaction. I'm satisfied because I was with him when he died and I know he didn't leave me on purpose," she told him and she smiled sadly but strong.

He was amazed by her. Her emotions were so strong and open. In Wonderland, the only time people showed emotion was if they'd had the right tea but Alice hadn't been affected by them. She was experiencing pure, raw emotions and it was exhilarating. Of course, he didn't want her to be upset though. He hoped he would get to see more of her genuine happy emotions.

"So where did you go? I looked for you when I woke up but you were gone?" she questioned. He seemed to think for a minute whether he should tell her.

"I was with Jack again. He needs all the help he can get right now. I was right, Alice. There are rogue Wonderlanders and they know about the remaining oysters," Hatter stopped momentarily, taking a deep breath before he explained the worst.

"We tried to protect all of them but…we didn't manage to save them all. The rogues think they can get the emotions still. They won't quit until they get what they want. They believe they've found…ways to get the emotions. I've seen it, the stuff they do…it's…horrible. I don't want you to panic Alice but…" he broke off trying to say it the best way but she understood.

"They're coming for me," she stated evenly and Hatter sighed but nodded.

"Don't worry though. This place is impenetrable. They want you because you're an oyster but also because you destroyed the regime. They're looking for revenge on the side." Alice was silent before turning to him.

"How do they kill the oysters?" Hatter shook his head with a pained look.

"Alice, you really don't want to…." She cut him off. She was not someone to be babied away from the truth.

"How?" she asked firmer this time. He nodded slightly and looked away from her.

"Alice, they're literally tearing 'em apart. That's the most popular way. They're convinced that they can still access the emotions if they," he swallowed heavily, looking disgusted, before continuing, "Ingest the remains. It's not a pretty sight. That's why Jack's keeping this place guarded now. We've got suits and agents stationed all around the perimeter. If anyone is near, we'll know." Alice shook but nodded.

This was terrible. Innocent people were being murdered by what Alice could only compare to as drug addicts, who have lost their only way to their fix. There had to be a way of stopping this.

"What can I do to help? I can't sit around while people are dying because of me," she said desperately.

"Alice, I'm sorry but there's nothing you can do. If you leave this place, you will be killed and there is no way in hell I will let what I saw today happen to you. The best thing for you to do is to wait until everything has righted itself. Jack is working the best he can, trying to figure out a way to fix the ring. He's asked Charlie to help out. He may not be all there but he's the closest thing we have to a White Knight and he may know a way to fix it." Alice shook her head unhappily and Hatter sighed.

"Alice I swear to you that I will do everything I can to help the other oysters and I'll make sure you're kept up to date with everything." She nodded but could not manage to smile at him and he pushed her hair back out of her eyes.

"Okay. Well let's go have something to eat and then if you want you can go back to reading your book." She followed him into the kitchen obediently but Alice was not going to give up so quickly. She was going to make a plan. After she finished her dinner, she cleared her throat and Hatter looked up.

"Thank you for…well whatever that was, it was great. I think I'm going to go to bed now. I think my body is trying to catch up on the sleep it's missed," she said getting to her feet and Hatter nodded.

"Okay, well if you need anything, my room is just around the corner there," he said pointing to the left of the room. She nodded and made to leave but she stopped and stood in front of him hesitantly. He looked up at her in interest from his spot still seated. Before she could chicken out, she leaned down and pecked him on the cheek. His eyebrows rose in surprise.

"What was that for?" he asked with a small smile. She blushed and wrung her hands nervously.

"I wanted to thank you for…well everything. If it wasn't for you I would have died when I got here but here you are still looking after me now. So thank you."

"Don't mention it. I'll always help you. Whenever you need me to," he answered seriously. Alice nodded and turned, leaving the room. She was so confused about what to do with that man. She knew she felt something for him but what if he didn't feel the same? What if all the rescuing and chivalry had been just because she was a friend in need? She needed to find out for sure but at the present she needed a plan. She was going to help the oysters in some way. She just needed to work out how.

The most pressing problem was getting out of here. There was no way Hatter would let her leave and there were guards everywhere. The guards shouldn't be any problem; she'd taken them on before and won. She just had to wait until Hatter left the place and sneak out. She was not stupid; she would find a weapon to protect herself with when she went. She could not stay safely in this place, getting special treatment when there were people just like her being killed out there. She was in no way more important than them.

Changing into a ratty old dress, she slipped into the soft, warm bed and soon sleep overtook her again.

Hatter was sitting in the living room, trying to think of some strategy to help the oysters. He hadn't lied to Alice before; he would do everything he could for them. The problem was, the Wonderlanders were too good at hiding and they were having trouble finding them. He growled in anger and thrust another sheet of scrunched up paper into the flames in the fireplace. He placed his head in his hands and groaned. He had been so sure everything would be better. But as one war ended, another began. He hadn't been completely honest with Alice before. The place was not totally impenetrable. There were definitely ways that the rogues could get in but he prayed they would not get past the guards. Alice was his main priority now. He would die protecting her, willingly.

He was extremely confused by the woman. He had spent the entire journey they had been on feeling immense jealousy towards Jack Heart but then right at the end she had turned the king down. He didn't know what to make of that and he hoped she felt the way he did. He had never felt anything close to love before in his life. Sure, of course there were girls but they hadn't meant much and you could get love in tea form but what was the point. He had always had this view. He did not drink the emotion tea. He found it immoral and cruel. Of course, he had tasted them. He hadn't had much choice. Working as head of a tea shop he'd had to attend formal occasions with the Queen and he would be forced to drink the vile stuff. That was the original reason he had invested in buying some sleep tonic to lace into his bed. All the false emotions he had been having threw his sleeping patterns out of whack and also made him too edgy. It had gotten to a point where Dormie had had to cover for him, saying he was sick because he had descended into madness once. It was a rare reaction for some Wonderlanders to the tea but he had for weeks been nonsensical and rambling about writing desks and such.

He was broken from his train of thought by muffled cries coming from Alice's room. He jumped up immediately and ran for her room. The only thing that flashed through his mind was that the rogues had gotten in somehow and were killing her. THAT was enough to almost send him into madness. Opening her door hurriedly he looked around. There was no one in the room. He breathed out in relief but then his attention turned on Alice in the bed. She was tossing and turning with a restless look on her face. He approached the bed slowly.

"Daddy? No please…Don't take him away. I've just gotten you back. Please," she sobbed in her sleep and Hatter gently shook her arm. Her eyes opened and looked around wildly. They soon rested on Hatter, who had a pitying look on his face and she choked a sob.

"I thought…I thought it had been a dream. That he was still here," Alice sobbed as she looked at him and Hatter sighed before sitting on the bed and pulling her close. She cried into his shoulder, releasing all the pent up emotion from her father's death.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! I took inspiration for the Wonderlanders going insane over the Tea thing from drug addicts because the whole mini-series basically hints to that. Please review and more will come soon :)


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